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Tag: Atul Hegde

  • A unique establishment that will aim to invest capital and wholly mentor early stage start-ups

    Sudhir Menon & Atul Hegde join hands to launch Rainmaker Ventures

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sudhir Menon and Atul Hegde, two very prominent industry figures have announced the launch of Rainmaker Ventures. Sudhir Menon is the Chairman & Managing Director, Dorf Ketal, a Rs 2000 crore global corporation specializing in the development, commercialization, marketing and application of specialty engineered chemistries for the refining and petrochemical industries. Atul Hegde is one of the pioneers of the Indian digital media industry and was previously part of the Astro group of Malaysia funded – ToTHENEW ventures, running Ignitee Digital, a leading digital marketing firm.

     

    Rainmaker Ventures with presence in India, USA, Brazil and Singapore launched with an early stage start-up fund of $US50mn and will aim at identifying competent tech-startups and invest not only seed-capital, but also, the partners’ collective expertise of growing successful businesses.

     

    Atul Hegde, Co-Founder, Rainmaker Ventures spoke on the launch, “Rainmaker by the modern definition is somebody who makes a significant difference to an organization or a group. We strongly feel that early stage startups need full time mentoring as much as they need capital. I have seen most startup businesses fail to move on to the next stage due to lack of real life business experience. Simply infusing capital is not the only requirement. That’s where Rainmaker Ventures come in. We want to create a value-establishment – one that creates and nurtures real businesses in today’s virtual world.”

     

    Sudhir Menon, Co-Founder, Rainmaker Ventures added “Today, capital seems to be chasing anything that is in the garb of a tech startup. This scenario will get a reality check very soon. In the end, its real business that counts, both to the startup founders & the investors. Rainmaker ventures will focus on helping budding entrepreneurs to build a strong business on the ground. We believe that is the only way to ride & survive this start up wave”

     

    Rainmaker Ventures will look at mentoring 10-12 early stage startups in its first year of operations. Expansion will also be enabled with more senior professionals from varied sectors joining the company as full time mentors.

     

  • Through this association, Breakthrough seeks to leverage the digital media platforms to educate the audience by establishing meaningful conversations

    Breakthrough hands over digital duties to Ignitee Digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Global human rights organization Breakthrough, has appointed Ignitee Digital as its digital agency. Breakthrough seeks to prevent violence and discrimination against women by transforming the norms and cultures that enable it. Through this association, Breakthrough seeks to leverage the digital media platforms to educate the audience by establishing meaningful conversations and building a critical mass of change agents worldwide. By building an active presence on social media through its collaboration with Ignitee, Breakthrough intends to build a Breakthrough Generation-whose bold collective action will deliver irreversible impact on the issue of violence against women.

     

    Launched in 2000 by Indian-American human rights activist and cultural entrepreneur Mallika Dutt, Breakthrough has expanded online with a view to serve as a common platform for women’s general well-being, building a support network and advocate for gender equality and women’s rights.

     

    Ignitee has been appointed by Breakthrough to manage the #Selfies4School digital campaign to create a platform through which users can upload selfies and promote the campaign on their social media profiles.

     

    “At Breakthrough our aim is to make human rights real and relevant to everyone by creating innovative, relevant multimedia and pop culture that bring human rights issues and values into the mainstream. The Vodafone Breakthrough Selfies4School campaign is a call to educated, urban men and women to join our effort to delay the early marriage of girls till they attain legal age. By sending in selfies to join this campaign, one will not only ensure the resources to support the right to education for girls, but also endorse the courage of girls to fight against odds like poverty, gender discrimination and child marriage to realize their dreams,” said Sonali Khan, Vice President and Country Director, Breakthrough India.

     

    The Ignitee team is also responsible to revamp the Breakthrough website which will focus on how the users can join hands with Breakthrough and work with them. Through this website, Ignitee aims to create innovative, relevant multimedia tools and programs-from short animations to long-term leadership training-that reach individuals and institutions where they are, inspiring and equipping them to build a world in which all people enjoy their human rights. With an active presence online and a revamped website, Breakthrough will be able to engage with its followers and registered users, send them relevant invites for events based on their location and other parameters.

     

    Atul Hegde

    On this strategic partnership, Atul Hegde, CEO, Ignitee said, “We are extremely delighted to be associated with Breakthrough and look forward to support the campaigns with Ignitee’s expertise in the digital space. We are looking at building engaging content which will help bring a notable positive difference to the lives of all women and lead to a better society to live in. We, at Ignitee, will create unique and innovative campaigns reflecting the needs of the users and connect with them on a personal level by providing useful information to users and encourage them to join in the various initiatives.”

     

    Ignitee had previously been associated with cause marketing initiative like Be Brave (Godfrey Phillips India) and NGO like YouWeCan (Yuvraj Singh Foundation).

     

  • Integrated businessframework to deliver 25 end-to-end social use cases

    Ignitee unveils Social IQ

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ignitee Digital, a TO THE NEW group company,has announced the launch of Social IQ, an integrated Social CRM offering.The solution is designed to enable brands to harness the power of social media beyond advertising and derive tangible business performance.

     

    Social IQ’s business framework offers an industry-leading bouquet of25 end-to-end Social CRM use casesranging from strategy, engagement, response management, creative, contentand analytics, underpinned through a strong layer of technology. Social IQ will leverage social platforms to empower various business functions including product innovation, sales & marketing and customer experiences, as brands seek to become more relevant to the social and mobile first consumer.

     

    Atul Hegde

    Commenting on the launch of Social IQ, Atul Hegde, CEO, Ignitee Digital stated, “The penetration of social media across all demographics of consumers has created a huge opportunity for brands and organizations to use social media for business.TO THE NEW developed Social IQ after much research and feedback and Ignitee Digital is well positioned to deliver this using our innovative SMACK services and proprietary technology platform.”

     

    With more than 150 clients globally, TO THE NEW is one of the only digital service providers with specialized centers of excellence around Content, Analytics, Marketing and Technology. Social IQ aims at integrating best practices around each of these to help brands in every step of the way accomplish social for business – from building social strategies to implementing integrated technologies and running these processes on behalf of clients.

     

  • Delhi Duty Free has appointed digital marketing agency Ignitee Digital to manage their social media campaigns and digital communication

    Delhi Duty Free assigns digital mandate to Ignitee Digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Delhi Duty Free has appointed digital marketing agency Ignitee Digital to manage their social media campaigns and digital communication. Delhi Duty Free had increased its engagement on Facebook and Twitter since last year, and aims to cement its online presence to inform, educate and influence consumers’ buying behaviour.

     

    Delhi Duty Freehopes to increase its interface and engagement with current and potential international travellers and offer updated data about the various activities and promotions about the brand. Through the association with Ignitee, Delhi Duty Free will seek to leverage the digital platform and build a unique brand image. Ignitee will manage not only its consumer engagement across all social networking sites but also the digital media planning and buying for the brand across digital platforms.

     

    Atul Hegde

    Atul Hegde, CEO, Ignitee Digital Services commented, “We are extremely excited to create a 360-degree digital experience for Delhi Duty Free, leverage this opportunity and create many innovations and help create a distinct image of the brand in the minds of consumers and also bring many ‘firsts’ in this space for our category.”

     

    Abhijit Das, Head of Marketing, Delhi Duty Free, said, “Being the single largest duty free retail operator in India, Delhi Duty Free looks at introducing its one-of-a-kind products to the audience and give them a chance to interact and engage with the brand on the digital and social media platforms. We want to bring our target audience closer to the brand through our digital activities and for this we have brought Ignitee Digital on board. Ignitee has been one of the key players in the digital marketing arena and their expertise and ingenious thinking will surely help the brand grow.”

     

  • Ignitee Digital Services has been signed on as the digital marketing partner by American Swan, the global online and lifestyle brand owned by The American Swan Lifestyle Company

    Ignitee bags digital duties of American Swan

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ignitee Digital Services has been signed on as the digital marketing partner by American Swan, the global online and lifestyle brand owned by The American Swan Lifestyle Company.

     

    Ignitee Digital Services will undertake to establish a strong digital footprint for American Swan in the fast growing Indian lifestyle and fashion segment. It has developed the corporate website for American Swan and will now manage the brand’s social media campaigns and communication across assets including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Additionally, Ignitee will also manage the digital media planning and buying for the brand across platforms.

     

    Atul Hegde

    Atul Hegde, CEO, Ignitee Digital Services, said, “The fashion and lifestyle segment in e-commerce has shown the largest growth this year. It’s a crowded but very exciting space to be in. American Swan with its globally designed products is uniquely placed to leverage this booming trend online. Ignitee will put all its might in making American Swan one of the premier fashion brands online.”

     

    According to a recent report by Google India, apparel and accessories has emerged as the second biggest product category with 30 percent market share in the e-commerce space. Other categories that have witnessed a significant growth online include beauty and personal care with 10 percent, and home and furnishing with 6 percent market share respectively.

     

    On partnering with Ignitee Digital Services, Anurag Rajpal, Director and CEO, The American Swan Lifestyle Company said, “The American Swan brand has been conceived and developed to be aspirational, accessible and affordable. We aim for a differentiation through our brand proposition and positioning to offer affordable luxury to an aspiration-led audience. We want to bring our target audience closer to the brand through our digital activities and for this we have brought Ignitee Digital on board.”

     

  • Family and friends held a prayer meeting to pay their final tribute to the man who championed the cause of digital media

    Family and wellwishers bid farewell to V Ramani

    V Ramani

    By A Correspondent

     

    Family and friends of late Mr V. Ramani held a prayer meeting on Friday evening at Bombay Tamil Sangham Hall to pay their final tribute to the man who championed the cause of digital media even before it became a sensation. Apart from family members, friends and other wellwishers from the industry were present at the prayer meeting.

     

    Mr Ishan Raina, MD and CEO, OOH Media, Mr Atul Hegde, CEO Ignitee Digital Services, Ms Harminder K Datta, Co-founder and Principal Correspondent, Pariental Innovative Solutions, Mr Sandip Tarkas, CEO Future Media and other well known dignitaries attended the prayer meeting.

     

    Family and friends remembered him as the man who was a perfectionist – passionate about sports, particularly cricket and a man who was fun loving, hardworking who always wanted to win. The prayer meeting started with a traditional Sanskrit prayer followed by family, friends and colleagues paying their final tribute to Mr Ramani.

     

    Mr Hegde remembered Mr Ramani as a man who got joy from the smallest things; who loved cricket and bonded well with those who loved that sport. He also defined Mr Ramani as a man known for his passion for work and sports. He also observed that it did not matter who his clients were – big or small, the passion remained the same.

     

    Ms Datta said that one of the things she learnt from Mr Ramani was that an idea could come from anyone. She remembered Mr Ramani as a man who was dominating but, at the same time was a childat heart, and very honest. She also said that the journey at Pariental Innovative will not end because Mr Ramani has given them a dream through which he will always be with them.

     

    One of Mr Ramani’s ex-colleague from Contract Advertising, Ms Devika Sharma, now Executive Director, Lowe Lintas remembered Mr Ramani as a man who always enjoyed a good fight; a man who always worked with passion and dedication, always wanting to climb new heights.

     

  • Mr Dey will be based at Ignitee’s Gurgaon office – managing the business across the offices of Ignitee in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai

    Ignitee appoints Ranjoy Dey as Chief Operating Officer

    Ranjoy Dey

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ignitee Digital Services, the digital marketing & media agencies, appointed Ranjoy Dey as Chief Operating Officer. Mr Dey will be based at Ignitee’s Gurgaon office – managing the business across the offices of Ignitee in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

     

    Mr Dey will be responsible for leading all aspects of marketing and operations for Ignitee, aligning the marketing strategy and brand positioning for the company’s growth in the fast evolving digital advertising industry. He will report to Atul Hegde, CEO, Ignitee.

     

    Mr Dey is a Sales & Marketing professional with 18+ years of experience; as Operations & Business Head in Agencies, he has handled & led large-scale Marketing campaign operations & project management – while managing large & diverse teams across the country. He had also taken up roles to set-up and lead e-Marketing & CRM functions from scratch in several IT & eLearning companies.

     

    Commenting on this development, Atul Hegde said: “Ranjoy joins Ignitee as we continue to expand, and offer our best practices to customers. We are very focused on bringing great value across our digital products and solutions, and Ranjoy’s appointment is central in helping us to achieve this. With his vast experience in successfully creating & delivering interactive marketing solutions and effectively managing diverse resources, he is the ideal person to help us achieve our growth goals and country-wide consolidation.”

     

    Mr Dey said: “I am excited to take up this role as the growth driver for Ignitee. Ignitee has been doing some amazing work for their clients and the time is right to expand the business when clients are looking at differentiated marketing solutions while enhancing their digital footprint.”

     

     

  • The very fact that large clients are investing in digital media shows that clients are spending serious amount of money to manage digital, says Atul Hegde

    Atul Hegde on why Digital is no longer New Media

    By Atul Hegde

     

    1. Serious spenders on traditional medium are now leading the way in digital spends

    When advertisers from the auto sector, FMCG, Corporate brands, Consumer Durables and other serious spenders, which for long have been spending heavily on traditional medium, begin to spend heavily in the digital media, it is the first indication that digital is no longer a new media.

     

    2. Large clients now have digital media/brand manager

    The very fact that large clients are investing in digital media, whether they are from the auto sector, telecom, FMCG’s, consumer durables  and so on, they have today either digital media managers or digital brand managers. This, in itself, shows that clients are spending serious amount of money to manage digital.

     

    3. Senior clients are regular consumers of the medium

    For any medium to succeed it is important that people who are buying it are also consuming the same medium because only when they consume that media will they realize the power of that media for their brands. Today there are senior clients who have become regular users of the medium.

     

    4. Movies and Cricket video consumption on digital has exploded

    Clients go where there are eyeballs, and inIndiawe view more than we read.Indiais a country where we consume films and cricket, both of which are heavily consumed on the internet. For instance IPL online has seen more viewership this year than the year before. Therefore, the more videos we have on movies and cricket, the more the audience will spend time viewing the videos and as a result, more advertisers will spend money on that medium. The explosion of video consumption inIndia, therefore, is bringing in more serious advertisers to digital media.

     

    5. Emergence of digital media awards (last count there were more than half a dozen)

    Today we find so many digital media awards, which only mean that clients are keen to win awards for digital. In fact, awards are a good way to boost the medium.

     

    Atul Hegde is the CEO, Ignitee Digital Services Pvt. Ltd